A Few Differences

Alrighty folks, 

      Since coming to Ireland I have been asked quite a few questions about the cultural differences between Ireland and the good life in Nebraska. I'm not going to lie to you--there are definitely some differences but there are quite a few similarities as well.  One of the huge cultural differences is the difference in language. Where I’m staying, quite a bit of the population can speak Irish fluently, whereas in other areas—not so much. However, ladies, I will say that the Irishmen and their accents are to die for. Especially when they can sing. And that brings in my next point. Music seeps deep into the culture and tradition here. Wherever I go, whether it’s out to a pub or walking around, there is music. It’s one of my favorite parts about Ireland. “Galway Girl” is my jam and I honestly don’t really care who sings it. There is quite a bit more than just traditional Irish music too. I can tell you that the Irish love their Johnny Cash and I found myself singing along to Bon Jovi as well. Where there is music, food is always nearby. As far as having the same food such as candy here as we do at home—it’s a lie. The pop is really quite different as well as the candy. Starburst are strawberry, orange, lemon lime, and black currant. Crazy. The Irish can make a mean tomato soup. I do not say that lightly, either. I would sell my left kidney for the recipe of the soup that I had at a small café while visiting the Aran Islands. One major thing that is similar is how nice the people are. I know I’m biased, but the people here remind me a lot of the folks back home that are always willing to help someone in need without expecting anything in return. If I have a question or concern, everyone I have met has always gone above and beyond to help me. Even with all of the different things I am experiencing here, I feel like it’s home because of the people. I could give you all a hundred reasons why I love it here and I don’t want to leave, but my number one reason will be the people every single time. They’re kind and giving and fun and easy going and willing. I know I didn’t cover all of the bases, and if you have any questions, please feel free to message me on Facebook and I can elaborate a little more for you.

--Lex.

A Little Exploration

Hello all!

            It’s hard to believe that it is already my third week in Ireland. There’s definitely still a part of me that doesn’t believe it myself. I find myself doing something interesting every day, whether it’s at Park Lodge in the cottages or otherwise. This last weekend, my friend group and I decided to spread our wings a little bit and head south to Cork. We left last Thursday, and we came home on Saturday. Thursday morning, we got a taxi and headed to the bus station in Galway. It was all a very new experience for me because I had never been on a public bus before (Yes, I know I live a sheltered life). The bus ride was a little longer than I expected it to be, but I was able to see a lot more of the country in the 3 hours that I was on the bus. Once we got to Cork, we looked for our hostel. Michael, Jessica, Regan, and I originally booked a 14 person mixed dorm because it is so much cheaper than doing it any other way. However, to our surprise when we arrived, the hostel gave us a 4 person private room without the extra cost. That was a nice surprise because we didn’t have to lock our things up. I can’t say that I wasn’t a little disappointed in the night life in Cork. On Thursday night, we met up with the other group of people that travelled to Cork at Bru. This bar had a pretty nice, laid back atmosphere and the beverages were wildly cheaper than any other bar I was at in Cork. However, the group wanted to experience a little bit more than just Bru so we made our way out to Oliver Plunkett Pub. I loved this pub. In the basement, there was rock music, but upstairs they had traditional Irish history and *insert swoon.* However, there was a drawback; the drinks were extremely expensive. I got two drinks and it almost cost me twenty euros. Ouch. Anyway, we tried to go back to Bru, but it closed down at 11:30—and I guess so did every other bar on Thursday night. Reluctantly, Regan, Jess, Michael and I headed back to our hostel grabbing a few pizzas on our back back. Instead of going to bed early to prepare for the adventures for the following day, we decided to stay up. Thursday was definitely a turning point in my relationship with Jess and Michael--we are a wolf pack. The next day we decided we wanted to do a little bit of shopping and do some touristy things. We started walking around and Michael spotted a building that towered over the rest, and we decided we wanted to check it out. We had stumbled upon St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral. If any of you get the chance, it’s absolutely stunning. After that, Regan and I headed back to the hostel and Michael and Jessica explored on their own a bit. We ended up back at Bru--the drinks were cheap and the atmosphere was good. I, however, wanted to cut my ears off Friday with the live music that was playing. It was awful. Anyway, we headed home at about 2:00 that night. Originally our bus tickets were for 5 the following day, but we managed to get on an earlier bus and I am so glad that we could. We made it back to Galway and ate there and from there we grabbed another taxi home.

Daily life!

Hello again everyone!

It’s Day 11 of my Mexican food hiatus. My body is definitely going through withdrawls. I don’t entirely know how to handle it. Unfortunately, my days do not consist of any mouthwatering Mexican, but on the other hand I am experiencing much better things on a day-to-day basis here in Ireland. And I want to inform you all of what I’m doing and I’m going to let you know what my daily life looks like here on the West coast of Ireland. If you know me at all, you know that I am not a morning person. Because of this, I wake up about 15 minutes (sometimes 5 minutes) before class, roll out of bed, throw on my rain boots and walk briskly to class (not because I’m late, but because it’s usually rainy, windy, cold, or a combination of the three). On Mondays I study Gaelic, Tuesdays revolve around Irish Literature, and Wednesdays are composed of Irish History. On any given day, I sit in class and learn about the various subjects for a few hours, get a break for lunch, and head back to class until 2. After I get out of class, I usually do one of two things: go on an adventure or nap. Yesterday I definitely opted for the nap; I wasn’t feeling all that great and I didn’t sleep well the night before. Today, however, the only option was to go on an adventure because it was SUNNY! Today was the first day since I’ve been here that I haven’t been rained on. It was absolutely wonderful. Instead of speed walking in the rain, I was able to take a leisurely walk, play on the beach, and feed some ponies that I found by the side of the road. After I got back to Park Lodge, our group ate the food all of the cottages had prepared for our pot luck we had planned and watched a movie, Michael Collins, for Dr. K’s class. In between class and supper on a regular day, a few days out of the week I would walk into Spiddal, get some food and maybe a drink at a pub depending on what time I go into town. Any other day though, my cottage would make supper, hang out, read for class, or head to the study room to get Wifi. We don’t have internet in the cottages right now. While it is a little frustrating and something to get used to, I definitely appreciate the lack of distraction from my studies and when I’m through with those, I am able to pick up a good book and relax. As previously stated, I’m not a morning person which makes me a night person. So far, I’ve finished three books plus whatever reading I needed to get done for class.

Until next time,

    Lex.

Here we go!

Dia Dhuit! Hello!

This week has been a whirlwind. Friday night was my last night at home. One of my best friends, Rachel, came over to spend my last night with me in Dodge. I don’t know how I would have made it under 50lbs without her (Thanks Pootsie!). My mom made me my favorite meal, we packed, and we went to bed too late. Saturday morning rolled around and we made it out of the door on time. It was a good thing because when I got out of the car to go into Walmart, I dropped my money bag on accident. Whoops. God bless the good soul who turned it into customer service and God bless my Uncle David who met us half way from the airport to get it to me. I made it to the airport, checked my bag, hugged Chase, Rachel, my dad, and my mom last. I waved goodbye for the last time after I made it through TSA and waited with the 2016 Ireland group until our flight.

The first plane was somewhat small, but the flight was quick. I actually took about an hour nap, and I’m glad I did. I didn’t get a wink of sleep from Newark to Shannon. The layover in Newark was probably the worst part about the entire trip. I was so anxious and excited to get here that time seemed to stand still. But, we all got on the plane and away we were. I watched a few movies, The Martian and Titanic, and that kept me busy most of the flight. My row wasn’t full so the other girl and I kept our things in the middle seat so we both had plenty of room. By the time I got off of the plane, I was exhausted. We landed at 6:30am and I snoozed a little bit on the bus ride to our cottages.

I have two cottagemates, Kendra and Regan, so we all have our own rooms. We unpacked right away, and went to eat the meal that was prepared for us. I actually really like  (most of) the food. I’ll be looking into finding some of the recipes for the soups that I’ve tried. Class so far has been good. I’ve leaned some Irish, not that I’m very good at it, but I’m trying. And we met our Irish Lit professor today. I’m more than a little excited for his class, but that would be the English major in me. Yesterday, we went into Spiddal; it was the longest two mile walk of my life. The wind was insane. I wouldn’t doubt that there were 50mph gusts. After our short tour, the group landed in a pub. I had my first pint of Guinness, a shot of Jameson, and a few other Irish craft beers. The walk home was much nicer simply because the wind was at my back.

The next day, the group hopped on a bus and headed into Galway. There we toured the city and learned about it’s history. Plus we did some grocery shopping which was much needed. They don’t have grape jelly here (Mom, wanna send me some?).  I haven’t had any Mexican food since my arrival and that has probably been the hardest adjustment to be completely honest. I’m working on that though; hopefully I’ll find something relatively good relatively soon. Tonight I will head into Spiddal and tomorrow I’ll be headed into Galway and I’ll be staying at a hostel for the first time in my life. Exciting things are happening, people!